Accelerated Material Testing of Aero Engine Parts in a High Temperature Test Rig at Elevated Pressures

The presented test rig allows to test intensively cooled aero engine combustor parts at high temperatures of up to 2100K and pressures of up to 10 bar. The test rig and the peripheral facility is designed to produce hot gas temperature transients according to type test conditions, i.e. load cycles with high repeatability at elevated conditions. Damage due to low cycle fatigue is provoked by this accelerated testing.

To ensure comparable conditions between a real aero engine combustor, which operate at comparable temperatures but higher pressures, and the laboratory tests, the temperature gradients were matched by adjusting the coolant temperature.

The test rig was initially designed for testing of three combustor liner tiles at the same time and a maximum full load time of 20 seconds per cycle. Recently, the test section was modified to carry four combustor liner tiles and the full load time was increased by 50 seconds to ensure temperature equilibrium in the tiles. Both measures required modifications to the test facility.

Overall 4500 cycles were completed after several improvements to the facility, which will be presented.